heroes and hero worship-第31部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


he　grand　gift　he　has。　　We　find　in　Knox　a　good　honest　intellectual　talent；　no　transcendent　one；a　narrow；　inconsiderable　man；　as　compared　with　Luther：　　but　in　heartfelt　instinctive　adherence　to　truth；　in　_sincerity_；　as　we　say；　he　has　no　superior；　nay；　one　might　ask；　What　equal　he　has？　　The　heart　of　him　is　of　the　true　Prophet　cast。　　〃He　lies　there；〃　said　the　Earl　of　Morton　at　his　grave；　〃who　never　feared　the　face　of　man。〃　　He　resembles；　more　than　any　of　the　moderns；　an　Old…Hebrew　Prophet。　　The　same　inflexibility；　intolerance；　rigid　narrow…looking　adherence　to　God's　truth；　stern　rebuke　in　the　name　of　God　to　all　that　forsake　truth：　　an　Old…Hebrew　Prophet　in　the　guise　of　an　Edinburgh　Minister　of　the　Sixteenth　Century。　　We　are　to　take　him　for　that；　not　require　him　to　be　other。

Knox's　conduct　to　Queen　Mary；　the　harsh　visits　he　used　to　make　in　her　own　palace；　to　reprove　her　there；　have　been　much　commented　upon。　　Such　cruelty；　such　coarseness　fills　us　with　indignation。　　On　reading　the　actual　narrative　of　the　business；　what　Knox　said；　and　what　Knox　meant；　I　must　say　one's　tragic　feeling　is　rather　disappointed。　　They　are　not　so　coarse；　these　speeches；　they　seem　to　me　about　as　fine　as　the　circumstances　would　permit！　Knox　was　not　there　to　do　the　courtier；　he　came　on　another　errand。　　Whoever；　reading　these　colloquies　of　his　with　the　Queen；　thinks　they　are　vulgar　insolences　of　a　plebeian　priest　to　a　delicate　high　lady；　mistakes　the　purport　and　essence　of　them　altogether。　　It　was　unfortunately　not　possible　to　be　polite　with　the　Queen　of　Scotland；　unless　one　proved　untrue　to　the　Nation　and　Cause　of　Scotland。　　A　man　who　did　not　wish　to　see　the　land　of　his　birth　made　a　hunting…field　for　intriguing　ambitious　Guises；　and　the　Cause　of　God　trampled　underfoot　of　Falsehoods；　Formulas　and　the　Devil's　Cause；　had　no　method　of　making　himself　agreeable！　　〃Better　that　women　weep；〃　said　Morton；　〃than　that　bearded　men　be　forced　to　weep。〃　　Knox　was　the　constitutional　opposition…party　in　Scotland：　　the　Nobles　of　the　country；　called　by　their　station　to　take　that　post；　were　not　found　in　it；　Knox　had　to　go；　or　no　one。　　The　hapless　Queen；but　the　still　more　hapless　Country；　if　_she_　were　made　happy！　　Mary　herself　was　not　without　sharpness　enough；　among　her　other　qualities：　　〃Who　are　you；〃　said　she　once；　〃that　presume　to　school　the　nobles　and　sovereign　of　this　realm？〃〃Madam；　a　subject　born　within　the　same；〃　answered　he。　　Reasonably　answered！　　If　the　〃subject〃　have　truth　to　speak；　it　is　not　the　〃subject's〃　footing　that　will　fail　him　here。

We　blame　Knox　for　his　intolerance。　　Well；　surely　it　is　good　that　each　of　us　be　as　tolerant　as　possible。　　Yet；　at　bottom；　after　all　the　talk　there　is　and　has　been　about　it；　what　is　tolerance？　　Tolerance　has　to　tolerate　the　unessential；　and　to　see　well　what　that　is。　　Tolerance　has　to　be　noble；　measured；　just　in　its　very　wrath；　when　it　can　tolerate　no　longer。　　But；　on　the　whole；　we　are　not　altogether　here　to　tolerate！　　We　are　here　to　resist；　to　control　and　vanquish　withal。　　We　do　not　〃tolerate〃　Falsehoods；　Thieveries；　Iniquities；　when　they　fasten　on　us；　we　say　to　them；　Thou　art　false；　thou　art　not　tolerable！　　We　are　here　to　extinguish　Falsehoods；　and　put　an　end　to　them；　in　some　wise　way！　　I　will　not　quarrel　so　much　with　the　way；　the　doing　of　the　thing　is　our　great　concern。　　In　this　sense　Knox　was；　full　surely；　intolerant。

A　man　sent　to　row　in　French　Galleys；　and　such　like；　for　teaching　the　Truth　in　his　own　land；　cannot　always　be　in　the　mildest　humor！　　I　am　not　prepared　to　say　that　Knox　had　a　soft　temper；　nor　do　I　know　that　he　had　what　we　call　an　ill　temper。　　An　ill　nature　he　decidedly　had　not。　　Kind　honest　affections　dwelt　in　the　much…enduring；　hard…worn；　ever…battling　man。　　That　he　_could_　rebuke　Queens；　and　had　such　weight　among　those　proud　turbulent　Nobles；　proud　enough　whatever　else　they　were；　and　could　maintain　to　the　end　a　kind　of　virtual　Presidency　and　Sovereignty　in　that　wild　realm；　he　who　was　only　〃a　subject　born　within　the　same：〃　　this　of　itself　will　prove　to　us　that　he　was　found；　close　at　hand；　to　be　no　mean　acrid　man；　but　at　heart　a　healthful；　strong；　sagacious　man。　　Such　alone　can　bear　rule　in　that　kind。　They　blame　him　for　pulling　down　cathedrals；　and　so　forth；　as　if　he　were　a　seditious　rioting　demagogue：　　precisely　the　reverse　is　seen　to　be　the　fact；　in　regard　to　cathedrals　and　the　rest　of　it；　if　we　examine！　　Knox　wanted　no　pulling　down　of　stone　edifices；　he　wanted　leprosy　and　darkness　to　be　thrown　out　of　the　lives　of　men。　　Tumult　was　not　his　element；　it　was　the　tragic　feature　of　his　life　that　he　was　forced　to　dwell　so　much　in　that。　　Every　such　man　is　the　born　enemy　of　Disorder；　hates　to　be　in　it：　　but　what　then？　Smooth　Falsehood　is　not　Order；　it　is　the　general　sum…total　of　Disorder。　Order　is　_Truth_；each　thing　standing　on　the　basis　that　belongs　to　it：　Order　and　Falsehood　cannot　subsist　together。

Withal；　unexpectedly　enough；　this　Knox　has　a　vein　of　drollery　in　him；　which　I　like　much；　in　combination　with　his　other　qualities。　　He　has　a　true　eye　for　the　ridiculous。　　His　_History_；　with　its　rough　earnestness；　is　curiously　enlivened　with　this。　　When　the　two　Prelates；　entering　Glasgow　Cathedral；　quarrel　about　precedence；　march　rapidly　up；　take　to　hustling　one　another；　twitching　one　another's　rochets；　and　at　last　flourishing　their　crosiers　like　quarter…staves；　it　is　a　great　sight　for　him　every　way！　　Not　mockery；　scorn；　bitterness　alone；　though　there　is　enough　of　that　too。　　But　a　true；　loving；　illuminating　laugh　mounts　up　over　the　earnest　visage；　not　a　loud　laugh；　you　would　say；　a　laugh　in　the　_eyes_　most　of　all。　　An　honest…hearted；　brotherly　man；　brother　to　the　high；　brother　also　to　the　low；　sincere　in　his　sympathy　with　both。　　He　had　his　pipe　of　Bourdeaux　too；　we　find；　in　that　old　Edinburgh　house　of　his；　a　cheery　social　man；　with　faces　that　loved　him！　　They　go　far　wrong　who　think　this　Knox　was　a　gloomy；　spasmodic；　shrieking　fanatic。　　Not　at　all：　　he　is　one　of　the　solidest　of　men。　　Practical；　cautious…hopeful；　patient；　a　most　shrewd；　observing；　quietly　discerning　man。　　In　fact；　he　has　very　much　the　type　of　character　we　assign　to　the　Scotch　at　present：　　a　certain　sardonic　taciturnity　is　in　him；　insight　enough；　and　a　stouter　heart　than　he　himself　knows　of。　　He　has　the　power　of　holding　his　peace　over　many　things　which　do　not　vitally　concern　him；〃They？　what　are　they？〃　　But　the　thing　which　does　vitally　concern　him；　that　thing　he　will　speak　of；　and　in　a　tone　the　whole　world　shall　be　made　to　hear：　　all　the　more　emphatic　for　his　long　silence。

This　Prophet　of　the　Scotch　is　to　me　no　hateful　man！He　had　a　sore　fight　of　an　existence；　wrestling　with　Popes　and　Principalities；　in　defeat；　contention；　life…long　struggle；　rowing　as　a　galley…slave；　wandering　as　an　exile。　　A　sore　fight：　　but　he　won　it。　　〃Have　you　hope？〃　they　asked　him　in　his　last　moment；　when　he　could　no　longer　speak。　　He　lifted　his　finger；　〃pointed　upwards　with　his　finger；〃　and　so　died。　　Honor　to　him！　　His　works　have　not　died。　　The　letter　of　his　work　dies；　as　of　all　men's；　but　the　spirit　of　it　never。

One　word　more　as　to　the　letter　of　Knox's　work。　　The　unforgivable　offence　in　him　is；　that　he　wished　to　set　up　Priests　over　the　head　of　Kings。　　In　other　words；　he　strove　to　make　the　Government　of　Scotland　a　_Theocracy_。　　This　indeed　is　properly　the　sum　of　his　offences；　the　essential　sin；　for　which　what　pardon　can　there　be？　　It　is　most　true；　he　did；　at　bottom；　consciously　or　unconsciously；　mean　a　Theocracy；　or　Government　of　God。　　He　did　mean　that　Kings　and　Prime　Ministers；　and　all　manner　of　persons；　in　public　or　private；　diplomatizing　or　whatever　else　they　might　be　doing；　should　walk　according　to　the　Gospel　of　Christ；　and　understand　that　this　was　their　Law；　supreme　over　all　laws。　　He　hoped　once　to　see　such　a　thing　realized；　and　the　Petition；　_Thy　Kingdom　come_；　no　longer　an　empty　word。　　He　was　sore　grieved　when　he　saw　greedy　worldly　Barons　clutch　hold　of　the　Church's　property；　when　he　expostulated　that　it　was　not　secular　property；　that　it　was　spiritual　property；　and　should　be　turned　to　_true_　churchly　uses；　education；　schools；　worship；and　the　Regent　Murray　had　to　answer；　with　a　shrug　of　the　shoulders；　〃It　is　a　devout　imagination！〃　　This　was　Knox's　scheme　of　right　and　truth；　this　he　zealously　endeavored　after；　to　realize　it。　　If　we　think　his　scheme　of　truth　was　too　narrow；　was　not　true；　we　may　rejoice　that　he　could　not　realize　it；　that　it　remained　after　two　centuries　of　effort；　unrealizable；　and　is　a　〃devout　imagination〃　still。　　But　how　shall　we　blame　_him_　for　struggling　to　realize　it？　　Theocracy；　Government　of　God；　is　precisely　the　thing　to　be　struggled　for！　　All　Prophets；　zealous　Priests；　are　there　for　that　purpose。　　Hildebrand　wished　a　Theocracy；　Cromwell　wished　it；　fought　for　it；　Mahomet　attained　it。　　Nay；　is　it　not　what　all　zealous　men；　whether　called　Priests；　Prophets；　or　whatsoever　else　called；　do　essentially　wish；　and　must　wish？　　That　right　and　truth；　or　God's　Law；　reign　supreme　among　men；　this　is　the　Heavenly　Ideal　（well　named　in　Knox's　time；　and　namable　in　all　times；　a　revealed　〃Will　of　God〃）　towards　which　the　Reformer　will　insist　that　all　be　more　and　more　approximated。　　All　true　Reformers；　as　I　said；　are　by　the　nature　of　them　Priests；　and　strive　for　a　Theocracy。

How　far　such　Ideals　can　ever　be　introduced　into　Practice；　and　at　what　point　our　impatience　with　their　non…introduction　ought　to　begin；　is　always　a　question。　　I　think　we　may　say　safely；　Let　them　introduce　themselves　as　far　as　they　can　contrive　to　do　it！　　If　they　are　the　true　faith　of　men；　all　men　ought　to　be　more　or　less　impatient　always　where　they　are　not　found　introduced。　　There　will　never　be　wanting　Regent　Murrays　enough　to　shrug　their　shoulders；　and　say；　〃A　devout　imagination！〃　　We　will　praise　the　Hero…priest　rather；　who　does　what　is　in　him　to　bring　them　in；　and　wears　out；　in　toil；　calumny；　contradiction；　a　noble　life；　to　make　a　God's　Kingdom　of　this　Earth。　　The　Earth　will　not　become　too　godlike！


＇May　19；　1840。＇　LECTURE　V。　THE　HERO　AS　MAN　OF　LETTERS。　　JOHNSON；　ROUSSEAU；　BURNS。

Hero…Gods；　Prophets；　Poets；　Priests　are　forms　of　Heroism　that　belong　to　the　old　ages；　make　their　appearance　in　the　remotest　times；　some　of　them　have　ceased　to　be　possible　long　since；　and　cannot　any　more　show　themselves　in　this　world。